Olive 23rd Oct 2019
"Best grower
Champagne: Most Champagne houses buy grapes from other growers to make their
wines. Grower champagnes are made by those who only use their own grapes, so
can keep a close eye on quality all the way from the vineyard to the bottle.
Lacking the huge marketing budgets of big brands, they frequently offer great
value for money and this is no exception. Fruity but with a bone-dry finish and
fantastic balance. - Kate Hawkings"
The Scotsman 30th Dec 2017
"Star buy: A first
rate grower based in Merfy, a less fashionable village in Champagne just
northwest of Reims – which was on the frontline during the WW1. The
Chartogne family have used organic methods and non-interventionist winemaking
to create this beauty: slight biscuit notes, blossomy, very citric, good
complexity. - Rose Murray Brown"
The Sunday Times 3rd Sep 2017
"This champagne is
produced by a small, family-run estate to the northwest of Reims and is winning
plaudits from all the right people. Its blend of chardonnay and pinot noir is
light, ethereal and elegant. - Will Lyons"
wineanorak.com 18th Apr 2017
"This is really good.
And it’s just £24 at The Wine Society. Stunning value for money. 12% alcohol.
60% 2014 and 40% 2013, disgorged in December 2016. Equal parts Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir from Merfy in the Montagne de Reims, with sandy clay soils over
chalk. All the wine comes from the village and they are the only grower in this
village. Organically farmed (working the soils with horses, and no herbicides
or insecticides), wild-ferment and no filtration, 6 g/l dosage. Lovely depth
and complexity with a lovely savoury density to the palate. There’s a mineral
quality, with fine citrus fruit and a hint of apple. It’s really complex and
citrusy with hints of earth and mushroom in the background. The saline detail
is really appealing. Everything here works together in harmony. 93/100 Jamie Goode"
Kent & Sussex Courier 12th Apr 2017
"Named after the
patron saint of the grower's home village of Merfy, on the Massif Saint
Thierry, an offshoot of the Montagne de Reims, this elegant, crisp, light and
racy champagne overflows with vivid citrus, orchard fruit and apple blossom
flavours set against a backdrop of brioche, perfectly balanced with a low
dosage of 5.5 g/l. Five-star value for a seamless, long and dreamy wine that
works just as well with scallops, oysters, lobster, sushi, tandoori chicken,
cold game, dim sum, white fish in a creamy sauce, fish and chips or smoked
salmon/trout as it does as an apéritif. Fabulous! Another glass, please. - James Viner"
Stylist 7th Dec 2016
"This is the only
grower producer in their village. This wine is beautiful in its floral aromas
of white peach blossoms and yellow apples. - Amy Swales"
Decanter 25th Nov 2015
"Stylish nose with
citric inclinations, then a palate where the pinot takes the lead and lends a
red fruit character. A bit edgy and youthful, but poised. - Panel Tasting"
JancisRobinson.com 30th Oct 2015
"(Tasted blind)
Greenish gold. Steady bead. Light nose – not much autolysis. Masses of acidity
and quite youthful and almost lemonade-like. Very well made. Clean and a tad
green. Super fresh. Not much finish. - Jancis Robinson"
The Times 20th Jun 2015
"…richly fruited,
richly spiced… made from 30-year-old chardonnay and pinot noir, [a] cracker,
with a wonderfully detailed back label. - Jane MacQuitty"
Financial Times 13th Jun 2015
"One of the best-value
grower's champagnes, with modest residual sugar of 5g/l. The youthful current
blend is based on 2012 and should come into its prime over the next four of
five years. - Jancis Robinson"
The Evening Standard 18th Dec 2014
"…good value...
crisp and light… Andrew Neather"
Shortlist 15th May 2014
"Delicate with pure
citrus fruits, a hint of quince and a touch of salt. Goes well with cured meats
or pâté on toast.- Sandia Chang"
The Mail on Sunday 23rd Mar 2014
"Bright with dazzling
fruit, it's amazing value and feels like sipping applause. - Olly Smith"
Financial Times 1st Mar 2014
"Alexandre Chartogne
studied with Anselme Selosse but makes less oak-dominated wines. His Ste-Anne
Brut is great value - Jancis Robinson"
Financial Times 30th Nov 2013
"
Very racy, direct, clean and breezy. Really neat
and concentrated. The flagship blend from this champagne grower in Merfy is a
great bargain.
- Jancis Robinson
"
The Daily Telegraph 19th Oct 2013
"...finesse here. The
Chartogne-Taillet wines have always struck me as being like cobwebs – made of
slender pieces of delicate spider-silk with an almost invisible but very great
strength. Very fine-boned. And a blend of all three champagne grapes. The C-Ts
refer to this as an expression of their village. It’s also pretty dry. - Victoria Moore"
JancisRobinson.com 2nd Aug 2013
"Wine of the week: “I have yet to encounter a disappointing example of this satisfying blend designed to express the character of their vineyards.” Marcel Orford-Williams, champagne buyer for The Wine Society who are just moving from the 2009-based cuvée to the one based on 2010 at £25, points out 'There's a Commonwealth War Grave cemetery nearby and ploughing can still be risky business. This is a fabulous estate, meticulously cared for with wines fermented separately by grape variety and by terroir and with increasing use of oak. The wines are light, bone dry and deliciously fruity. Perfect aperitif champagne. The Chartogne family is at the forefront of the movement to rejuvenate the reputation of the region with small, high-quality parcels of single-vineyard wines, further refined by the increasing use of barrels.' - Jancis Robinson"